“I love you, too, Jayce, and only God or fate could keep us apart.”
“Right now, One seems a long way off and the other, mighty gloomy.”
“Have faith, Jayce, we’re meant for each other, I’m sure of it.”
Their mouths meshed again. That long, slow, and tender beginning melded into kisses that became swifter and more ardent with each passing one. Desires flamed bright and hot. Neither had to ask or consent to what both wanted and knew would happen next.
Jayce lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom where they removed their garments and shoes as quickly as their quivering fingers allowed. Lying on the bed, his hands roamed her bare flesh and he savored her response. His lips worked hungrily at hers, his tongue exploring the delicious recess of her mouth. She was disarming and enchanting as she pressed against him and sent her hands questing over his stimulated body. His intense yearnings increased; the fires raging in his body seared away at his sensitive flesh. He felt her tremble with mutual longing and knew their bond was meant to be.
Laura clasped his handsome face between her hands and almost ravished his lips with delight and greed. He was tantalizing and tempting her beyond reason and reality. Her arms looped his neck and she pressed closer to him, leaning back her head when he trekked down her throat and trailed kisses over her pulse point, which was throbbing from the excitement racing through her veins.
Jayce’s mouth traveled her torso with skill and persistence. He kissed her straining nipples and stroked them with his cheek. He heard her moan with deep delight. His hand took a sensuous path down her body to the moist triangle between her thighs. His palm flattened over her mons and absorbed its heat before drifting up and down the soft inner surface from her groin to her knees. He was charged with energy and intense emotion. He ached for her. Slowly and provocatively, his lips covered the same terrain his hands had just traveled so he could feast upon her fruit of paradise.
As his mouth captured her tiny bud, Laura moaned and writhed as she experienced those bold and erotic sensations for the first time. When his tongue flicked over the peak and folds, she thrashed her head and was enthralled by his magic and sexual prowess. She abandoned herself to his rapturous and daring conquest. She felt as if her breath was being stolen and her flesh set afire. Her nails gently raked at his shoulders; then she buried her fingers in his dark hair, relishing the way the wet strands wound around them as if in a possessive embrace. A primitive wildness overtook her when he slipped a finger within her and deftly manipulated her flesh. The core of her womanhood tensed as her need for release mounted, and she opened herself completely to his actions. She wanted. She needed. She encouraged him to do as he pleased with her, because anything he did felt glorious. As his fingers and tongue roved her very essence, she experienced exquisite thrills. Soon, she could not help but fall over the precipice she had climbed, the one he had pushed her toward with expertise and generosity.
When she returned to her senses, Laura—aglow and ecstasydazed—pulled him up beside her. Her eager hands traveled his hard chest, flat belly, and lower abdomen. Her fingers toyed with dark hair around his manhood as she summoned the courage to reward him as he had her. She captured the rigid evidence of his arousal and placed kisses along its full length. Her tongue danced around the tip, spreading slick moisture on the incredibly smooth surface. Her mouth enclosed him, and she stimulated him with lips and hands until he was groaning and wriggling in great pleasure. She concluded in joy that she was performing the deed correctly.
Jayce knew that only total fulfillment could be sweeter than this brave and splendid prelude. He reached for her and lifted her to sit atop him, his arousal penetrating her threshold as he seated her upon it. In a near-dazed state, he watched her rock back and forth, every fiber of his being alive and pleading for more. The sensations were indescribable. He sucked on the fingers she had been stroking his lips with, and he kneaded her breasts. He didn’t want to stop but knew he must or she would get left behind. “I can’t hold out much longer, my love,” he admitted in a ragged tone.
“Neither can I, my beloved.”
He rolled them over so that she lay beneath him. Their gazes fused as tightly as their loins. Their passions soared, their hearts and pulses pounding as they kissed with urgency. They climaxed in unison this time, their loins throbbing and contracting as they found gratification.
As they rested and their bodies cooled, they nestled together, her fingers stroking his still-damp chest, and his drifting up and down her back. For a short time, they listened to the rain, its pace now a soft patter.
Jayce took a deep breath, feeling peaceful and relaxed. “I’ve never been tempted to settle down until I met you, Laura, but I’m eager and ready to do it now. I wish we had met at a different time so we could get our new life started.”
“I agree, but that can’t be helped for now. I wonder if it hadn’t been for the war, would we have met somewhere anyhow?”
Jayce’s gaze fused with hers and he stroked her cheek. “Surely so, because we’re destined to be together.”
“I also believe that’s true. I’ve missed you so much,” she murmured as she hugged him, “and I’ve been tempted several times to come visit you to check on your well-being, but I didn’t know where to find you. What brigade or corps are you with in case I need to reach you?”
Jayce was relieved he didn’t tense at her query. He had expected it and had prepared a necessary lie. “You mustn’t do that, woman, it’s too dangerous. Between here and there are countless perils: enemies, robbers, sex-starved Rebs, and other things like the possibility of falls or snakebites or catching malaria in the lowlands. Besides, I’m on the move a lot. They swap me around to do scouting, to fill in as a sharpshooter, as an extra for raids, and to protect retreaters’ flanks. Not being assigned to a certain company is how I’m able to sneak away to visit you. If things remain this way, I can come at least once a month.”
He paused and tried to assess her reaction to the perils he had listed. “Well?” he asked. “Did I convince you it’s too hazardous, or are you trying to think up clever ways to spend time with me?”
“Of course I’ll do as you say; I’m sure you know best.”
“Thanks, my love; you wouldn’t want me distracted by worries.”
“No, I wouldn’t. You keep your mind on what you’re doing so you’ll be safe. After all, my main concern is protecting my property. He is valuable and irreplaceable.”
“Just as I want to protect mine. It’s getting worse south of here so be careful when you’re away from the hotel. If trouble starts, go to the cellar.”
“Yes, sir. Now, let me tell you good news about Lily,” she began, to get away from the depressing subject of war and death. “She’s in love and is waiting for her sweetheart to return after”—there it was again, that topic that controlled their lives and so many conversations—“the war. Right now, she’s worried about him. He’s serving in Georgia against that barbaric Sherman. He was in Atlanta when the Yankees advanced on it. So far, he’s safe, and I hope for Lily’s sake he stays alive and unharmed.”
“So do I. Lily’s a nice lady.”
“And my best friend. I made her my assistant and I’m teaching her the hotel business. After I leave Richmond, I’ve decided to sell it to her and Richard. If they want to live in Georgia after they’re married, they can sell it to someone else.” Laura didn’t reveal the “entertainment” her hotel offered because she didn’t want Jayce to think badly of her. “Lily worries about him as much as I worry about you. Please be careful, Jayce; I couldn’t bear for anything to happen to you.”
“It won’t, I promise.” Jayce knew that the Southern Paradise offered sensual treats upstairs, just as he knew—from experience and from other men—that Miss Laura Carlisle didn’t provide any of them personally. He assumed from what she told him that Lily no longer worked upstairs, probably because of Richard. He also guessed her reasons for not telling him that embarrassing fact. He
realized he should leave before talk drifted to their families and histories, as he didn’t want to deceive her more than necessary. “Speaking of Lily, I best get going before daylight; we can’t have somebody seeing me over here and jeopardizing your reputation.”
“Surely you don’t have to leave tonight when the storm’s building up again. Listen to that thunder and pounding rain. And those flashes of lightning! It’s dangerous out in the open. I’ll sneak you into the hotel, and you can sleep there and depart after a good breakfast.”
“What if somebody asks how I got there?”
“I’ll say I heard you ride past my house to the stable, stuck my head out my back door, and told you to meet me at the hotel’s kitchen porch where I let you inside and put you in Room 5. Naturally that means you have to get drenched again,” she said with a merry laugh.
“I don’t mind. It’s warm out tonight and I’m still damp. Let’s start, so you can get some rest.”
“You, too, my love.”
After sharing several kisses and dressing, they carried out Laura’s idea without being seen, as it was after midnight.
When Jayce was inside his room, Laura used a cloth to mop up drips, then draped it over a kitchen chair to dry and to use during her clever explanation to the others. She returned home and wiped up water on the hall and bedroom floors. She straightened the mussed covers, donned a cotton gown, and turned in for the night.
Upon reaching the hotel at six-thirty, Laura was disappointed to discover Jayce had already departed.
A smiling Bertha said, “That Lieutenant Storm is such a nice man. He was so worried about tracking in and making a mess of my kitchen last night, but I told him you cleaned it up just fine and not to concern himself one whit. He was mighty grateful you let him come in from that awful storm and mud so late and him in such sorry condition, he said. I gave him some ham biscuits and fruit to carry with him.”
“That was very kind of you, Bertha. It’s a shame he’ll miss your fine cooking this morning. Our poor soldiers endure so many hardships.”
“Yessum, but for a good cause. He said he had to get going before his commander wondered what happened to him. He left his key on the desk.”
Laura had two important matters to discuss with Lily. First, now that she had support money from Grant via Ben, she had to make sure Belle and Cleo weren’t as miserable as Lily had been. She wondered if those women really enjoyed their work, as they both claimed. If not, there no longer was a reason or need for them to do it.
Laura chose her words with care. “Do you really think Belle and Cleo don’t mind their work upstairs? Is what they tell me the truth, or are they only being loyal and helpful? I wouldn’t want to be responsible for keeping them ‘entertaining’ men if they hate it.”
Lily smiled in affection and gratitude, guessing how hard Laura was trying not to offend her. “It’s all they’ve ever known or done, and they believe they’re good at it, even seem to enjoy it for the most part. Perhaps you don’t know it, dear Laura, but if done right, sex is enjoyable.”
Laura blushed, but assumed Lily didn’t know the real reason for her stained cheeks. “They would confide in you before me if they became displeased and wanted to stop; so if they do, tell me. I’ll find a way to retire them using part of that loan from General Grant.”
Lily shook her head and warned, “That’s dangerous, Laura. If you stop offering that service to our patrons, how would you explain earning enough from less business to pay them? They know what you charge for rooms, meals, drinks, and game table rentals; and they know food and liquors are expensive to purchase during the war. To pay for those things and five people’s salaries out of just hotel and downstairs entertainment earnings would be suspicious. Both are true loyalists, so, much as they like and respect you, they would feel they had to expose you.”
Laura had reasoned out the matter in the same way, but had wanted verification. Even after receiving it from her friend, she pressed, “Are you sure, Lily? I feel so responsible for them.”
“Don’t worry about this, Laura, If they didn’t want to pleasure men upstairs, they wouldn’t. When I could no longer endure that life, I stopped. Even without your help, I couldn’t have continued doing it. If you put them to work only cleaning, doing laundry, and serving drinks, they’ll be bored and probably go elsewhere to return to their old jobs. Don’t forget, they get tips and gifts from the men to add to their incomes, so count up what you’d have to pay them to keep them happy.”
“You aren’t just saying this to ease my conscience?”
“I wouldn’t tell you even a small lie, Laura, and you have no reason to feel guilty about them; they were prostitutes before you met them, and will be prostitutes after you last see them. I swear.”
“I feel better. As long as they’re doing this of free will, I won’t interfere. Now, I must tell you,” Laura said as she changed to a more pleasurable topic, “I’m impressed by how much you’ve learned in such a short period. You’re very intelligent, Lily; so was I to make you my assistant.”
“Thank you, Laura, and I’ll always be grateful for your friendship and faith in me. You’ve done so much to help me turn my life around, including the lessons you’ve given me on how to be a lady. I’ll need them after I marry Richard.”
“You’re quick to learn; you’ll be more than ready to conquer any challenges his family and social rank present.”
“I hope so because I wouldn’t want to embarrass or disappoint him.”
“I know so, Lily, so don’t worry about mistakes; even the besttrained and well-bred lady makes them on occasion. Now there’s a second matter I need to discuss with you: pregnancy prevention during sex.” She saw Lily’s blue gaze widen in surprise. Lily was smart enough to realize it was a personal question, not involving Belle and Cleo.
“You’re planning to…sleep with Lieutenant Storm?”
Laura noticed the polite and sensitive word Lily used for sex and that she didn’t call him Jayce this time. “Is that terrible of me? Are you disappointed in me?”
Lily shook her head. “I know you love him and I think he loves you.”
“But?” Laura encouraged, perceiving hesitation.
“I don’t want you to do something you might regret.”
“It’s too late for that, and I don’t regret it. We love each other and we’re going to get married after the war ends. He stayed with me for a few hours last night. It was a safe time; I just finished my monthly flow. I just…have to be prepared for the next encounter; this war could continue for a long time and Jayce could get…killed. I must have him completely, Lily, I must.”
“I understand, just be careful.”
“I will, if you teach me how. I mean, I know a great deal about the subject from working here and reading that book Aunt Clarissa had, but I want to make certain nothing was left out that might…entrap me.”
The next few hours were spent in discussing the men they loved, how to prevent pregnancy, business matters, and as always, the war.
When Laura met with Ben the following day, he revealed that Grant had gone to West Virginia to meet with Sheridan on Shenandoah strategy. “Grant knows Early returned Anderson’s corps to Lee, so the Valley should be ripe for Sheridan’s pluckin’. He can’t imagine why Jube sent troops he needs to Petersburg when there ain’t much goin’ on down there. Exceptin’, Wade Hampton snatched twenty-four-hundred head of cattle and three hundred prisoners from the Union at Coggins’ Point this week.” Laura was thrilled to hear that Petersburg was quiet for a while. She wondered if Jayce had been involved in the bold cattle rustling plot. Perhaps at this moment he was devouring a thick steak or hunk of roast. She could hardly wait to see him again and hoped that day was soon.
* * *
By the time Laura met with Ben on the first day of autumn, she knew Fremont had dropped his bid for the Union’s presidential election, fearing his competition might cause McClellan to win and evoke “separation or reestablishment of slavery.” She
hoped and prayed Lincoln would win, as he seemed to be the best man for the country.
She also knew from the gregarious Carl Epps during a visit last night that Davis said Sherman could be defeated and had told a congressman he thought Atlanta could be recovered and Sherman’s army driven out of Georgia, perhaps even destroyed.
Laura told Ben that President Davis was in Georgia. “He’s gone to study the problem and encourage the troops.” As she wondered if the Union would try to locate and capture him, Ben related they already knew about that visit.
“We got a message he spoke in Macon and told the crowd, ‘Our cause is not lost. Sherman cannot keep up his long line of communication, and retreat, sooner or later, he must.’ If that wasn’t such a tragedy, I might laugh at what’s a near-joke. He’s got guts for puttin’ himself so close to his enemies, but his words ain’t true. Georgia’s gonna fall in full, Miss Laura, and afore Christmas. So is the Valley now that Early’s given up Kershaw’s division to Lee; he’s only got twelve thousand boys left in his ranks. He ducked out on Sheridan and went to raid in Maryland a few days back; returned just in time to be licked at Fisher’s Mill by Crook today.”
Laura was glad Jayce’s location was strengthened, as reinforcements surely meant her beloved wouldn’t have as many confrontations with their enemies, though she hated to think about how vulnerable that would leave Early and his men. “Who told you such things?” she asked in surprise. “I haven’t heard or read about them.”
Ben chuckled. “You ain’t the onlyest spy we got, Miss Laura, just the prettiest.”
Laura shifted to another topic, one she always raised. “Any news about my family?”
Defiant Hearts Page 22
